


Searching

by Madame_Gatekeeper



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood and Injury, Eventual Smut, F/M, POV Multiple, Porn With Plot, Post-Time Skip, Time Travel Fix-It, Vaginal Sex, chapter 3 for smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28451559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Gatekeeper/pseuds/Madame_Gatekeeper
Summary: When Dimitri's quest for vengeance has dire consequences, Byleth realises she would do anything to bring him home safe. As she alters events, the pair are drawn together as Dimitri begins to find a reason to live.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	1. Storm Clouds

A field of beautiful green grass lay stretched out before Byleth. She could see two figures in the distance, one taller than the other. They were smiling and beckoning to her and so she made her way towards them. Flowers sprouted beneath her feet as she walked and the sun beamed down. As she drew closer to try and distinguish the faces of the figures, her vision began to fade in and out.

A rush of wind pushed her back as the sky darkened suddenly. She put a foot behind her to steady herself and heard a splash. When she looked down her foot was stained a deep red. Blood began to seep up from the ground and as she looked up in fear, she saw the two figures had turned away from her and were raising weapons against each other. The taller figure rushed forward with anger. A voice, faint as the wind, whispered to her.

“Stop him.”

She tried to cry out, to stop them as the voice willed but she couldn’t make a sound. The two figures clashed blades with a sound that rumbled like thunder before a blinding white light filled her vision. 

A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning woke Byleth with a start. She blinked her eyes a few times, becoming aware of her surroundings again. _What a dream_ , she thought, running her hands through her pale green hair as she lay there, trying to make sense of what she had just seen. The wind howled through the ruined courtyards of Garreg Mach and the rain lashed against the remaining intact windows. _The goddess sure is angry tonight_ , she thought. _Sothis, what ails you?_

She rose from her bed and stood by her window, watching the rain and wind batter the trees outside. She stood there for some time, thinking about the war and how hard everyone was working. They would soon need to plan their next move - Fhirdiad or Enbarr. She hoped that Dimitri would pick Fhirdiad if she was truthful. She knew his people needed him and she had hope that somewhere, beneath his cold grieving exterior, there was still the kind noble prince that she used to spend countless hours talking to hidden underneath. Now he wouldn’t even say more than few words, but she just knew he was still in there. She had seen him looking at her across the cathedral whilst she had been talking to Ashe, but when she turned to address him he had turned away like always, like those old days were long gone. She felt a dull ache in her chest at the thought. Another flash of light took her out of her absent minded thoughts as the light illuminated what she thought was a figure making it’s way towards the stables. She blinked her tired eyes and strained to see through the rain. Another flash and the figure was gone. No one would be crazy enough to be out in this, she thought and made her way back to bed to try and get some more sleep. 

* * *

The next morning, Byleth rose late to find the monastery buzzing with activity. She saw residents rushing around, hushed conversations being held and a look of unease amongst everyone. Concerned, she made her way to the cardinals room to seek the council of her allies and was met with a wall of worried faces. She entered and made her way to Felix, who seemed to be one of the few present not openly panicking.

“Felix, what’s going on?” Byleth asked. 

“He’s finally done it.” Felix replied. 

“Felix please, now isn’t the time to be cryptic with me.” 

“The boar has abandoned his people in favour of his bloodlust.” 

At this point, Dedue made his way over. “Prince Dimitri is gone, Professor.

"Gone?" Byleth replied, taking care to hide her inner turmoil from her expression. She was grateful for Dedue's calm demeanour as it helped settle her a little.

"Yes," Dedue continued "I went to saddle his horse for the march today. It was not in it's usual stable box so I went to inform His Highness. I thought, maybe he had taken the horse for a ride yesterday and staked it somewhere else for the night. When I checked his quarters, well the area of the cathedral where he has been sleeping recently, he was no where to be found. We have searched all morning and can not find him. We are currently ascertaining if the enemy has infiltrated our ranks and taken him as a prisoner of war. We know the Imperial army has been close to Garreg Mach recently.”

“Don’t be so foolish.” Felix snorted. “You know as well as I that no one could restrain that beast. No, he went of his own accord.” 

“He would not abandon his people” Dedue insisted, the first sign of cracks appearing in his calm appearance. 

“He hasn’t cared about his people for years. Tell me Dedue, why are we still waiting to decide if we are marching for Enbarr or Fhirdiad? It shouldn’t even be a question. He doesn’t care for anything but revenge.” 

Byleth found her mind drawn back to something, something that she was struggling to remember. She quickly pushed it aside.

“Now isn’t the time for guesswork." she interjected. "We must keep searching and I will help. You say his horse is gone?” 

“Yes Professor. I could not see it staked anywhere around the monastery. I had thought it may have bolted in the storm...” Dedue’s words trailed off and he looked at Felix out of the corner of his eye, as if knowing he was right but not fully wanting to entertain the thought. 

“Okay, lets go check the stables first. Maybe there are some clues. Come with me Dedue, I could use your eyes. You know Dimitri better than most.” 

* * *

The two made their way over to the stables and began searching the area. _No sign of storm damage_ , Byleth thought. _The latch on the door doesn’t seem to have broken so its unlikely the horse kicked it down in fright. Maybe the wind moved the latch._ She went and wiggled the handle and found it stiff with rust. _Well that idea isn’t right either._ She bent down to check the ground for any signs of movement. The storm had washed away any tracks she noted with a sigh. She worked her way around the stall until she found a small piece of long black fur caught on one of the saddle racks.

"Dedue, come check this.” 

“Professor, that is red wolf fur, much like His Highnesses’ cloak, he was definitely here.”

Byleth clutched the fur between her fingers and her mind suddenly filled with the image of a blood soaked field and two figures clashing swords. With a quick intake of breath, she dropped the fur and turned to Dedue.

“Dedue, go and tell the others to remain calm. I am going to find him.”

“Please Professor, you cant go alone, I will come with you.” 

“Dedue, someone needs to stay and handle the others. We can’t have them thinking their future king has abandoned them. Besides, it will be quicker without a group. I hate to say this but you aren’t the strongest rider. Please, trust me.” She met his gaze with an intensity that could only force him to concede.

Dedue looked at Byleth and exhaled. “Bring him back to us, Professor.” 

“I will.” 

With that, she bolted back to her quarters and grabbed her field pack. She always had one ready these days in case of a surprise attack and was grateful for it now. She hurried back to the stables, grabbed a saddle from the rack and readied the swiftest horse remaining. As she spurred the horse through the main gates of the monastery and turned south, her mind began to race.

_Sothis, you knew didn’t you? It was your voice. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Were you trying to stop him leaving? The storm, the dream, I didn’t understand until it was too late. Please, let us reach him in time._ She galloped her horse until she could push it no harder, rushing through farmland, forest and meadows, eyes wide for any sign of tracks.

Morning turned into afternoon and soon the night drew in. She knew she had to stop but pushed on. Exhaustion and fatigue began to overtake her, she felt the horse begin to slow and knew it was hopeless to continue. She reined the mare to a stop, dismounted and began leading it along the edge of a cliff face seeking shelter. Thankfully she came across a small cave opening set into the cliff wall and made her way inside. It was dark and slightly damp, but at least it was out of the elements. She had slept in worse in her mercenary days. As she staked the reins and began to build a small fire, the cold night air began to roll in.

She sat up for a while, ate some trail rations and tried to think about where Dimitri could be going. She had ridden out on a whim it was true but she knew there was some clue amongst that dream. She had a guess but she really didn’t think he was foolish enough to march for Enbarr alone. She really hoped Felix wasn’t right on this one. She laid on her bedroll, staring into the flames and shivering before she was overcome with fatigue and found herself drifting to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the scene setting opening act. Incoming angst, heartache and smut over the next few chapters


	2. Anguish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood and violence

She awoke to the soft light of the morning sun streaming into the mouth of the cave. She didn’t know how she had managed to sleep so well but as she sat up she felt something heavy fall from her shoulders. She rubbed her eyes to focus them and moved her hands to feel what the object was. Her fingers were met with soft fur and heavy woollen fabric. As her eyes adjusted to the light she saw the deep blue livery of the Kingdom. She stood up sharply in shock and the cloak fell to the floor. 

“Dimitri!” she cried out and rushed to the entrance of the cave, no care taken to avoid alerting bandits or bears to her presence. Her eyes darted around the forest edge outside the cave, trying to take everything in. How could he have possibly known where she was? Did he just happen to seek shelter in the same cave as her? Why didn’t he wake her? Where was he now? Question after question raced through her mind. She felt a small, sharp pain in her chest. She pressed her hand to it and a familiar voice echoed in her head, ever so faintly.

“Calm.”

“Yes,” Byleth whispered. “Thank you.”

She took a breath and began to look around, this time paying careful attention. It was clear Dimitri was no longer in the area. She didn’t spot any footprints making their way into the cave but there were a few broken branches leading away into the trees. He had managed to sneak in, undetected and without a trace, yet had left tracks on his way out. Byleth wondered if it was intentional, like he wanted to be found. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part. He clearly wanted to do this alone or he wouldn’t have left the monastery in such a way. She turned around and headed back inside to collect her things. The final thing she picked up was his cloak. Why on Fodlan did he leave it behind? As she lifted it onto the back of her horse, a small piece of paper fell onto the ground. Byleth bent to pick it up and carefully unfolded it to see just one word written in deep red. 

South. 

Her breath caught in her throat and her dream flashed across her mind again. She ran a finger across the words, noting the hand writing and realising what the note was written in. He must have used the edge of a blade or a small twig for a quill she thought to herself. The pain in her chest grew again, worse than before. This time there was no voice of comfort and the questions flooded back.

Why did he leave this?

If he wasn’t going to wake her, why communicate with her at all?

How hadn’t he woken her?

Byleth held the note against her chest. She had to trust that this was his cry for help and follow it. She tucked the note into her back pocket and swung herself onto her horse, wrapping the cloak around her. She didn’t want to just lie it over the horse anymore. She felt the need to feel him close to her again. If there was even a slight chance that he still thought of her like he used to...

Byleth shook her head to clear her mind and kicked the horse into action. She turned her horse sharply, heading south at high speed. 

* * *

She made her way through thick forest, keeping an eye out for any signs of movement. Either she got lucky or he had stopped caring because she found a trail easily. Rain started pouring down and she spurred her horse on faster so the trail wouldn’t get washed away before she could reach the end. She wrapped the thick blue cloak around her, mostly to keep off the chill but a small part of it was some kind of prayer that she could keep him safe. As she neared the edge of the forest, a deep piercing cry rang out. She sighted the break in the treeline and pushed forward. As she broke through her eyes were met with a sight she could never have imagined.

The bodies of dozens of soldiers littered the field, some so covered in blood she couldn’t see what livery they were wearing. She slowed her horse to a stop and gazed around, searching the faces for anyone she knew. She was grateful when she didn’t.

Then she turned her eyes forward.

She saw a figure walking along the ridge of a hill. On closer inspection, she would hardly call it walking. She strained her eyes to see but couldn’t make out any distinguishable features so decided to be cautious in her approach. She dismounted, tied the horse to a nearby tree and made her way forward slowly. As she watched the figure, another shape appeared over the crest of the hill in the centre of the field. This one was much more imposing and did not seem to have been involved in the prior skirmish. Byleth stood in line with the centre of them, far enough away that she would still be concealed, the lone wounded figure on her left, the new imposing figure on her right.

Both figures stopped when they saw each other.

Byleth took another step forward and felt her foot step into a puddle. She looked down and saw it was a pool of blood. Her heart sunk as her dream flooded back into her mind. This is it, she realised, as she snapped her eyes back up to the figures. Her eyes widened as she saw the two undeniable silhouettes of Heroes Relics. There was no mistaking the two figures now. One heavily armoured and wielding a glowing, twitching axe. The other, nearly on his knees, resting against a glowing lance. She wanted nothing more than to rush in now but her body wouldn’t move.

All she could do was watch as Edelgard the Adrestian Emperor and Dimitri, Crown Prince of Faerghus stood against each other. 

* * *

  
A soft wind carried voices across the field to Byleth's ears.

“Well Dimitri, I must say I am impressed. Those were some of my best soldiers.”

“Edelgard.” Dimitri said, his breathing ragged and pained. “Resorting to ambush tactics seems low even for you. Did you know you couldn’t win without underhanded tactics?”

"I knew you would be coming for me.” Edelgard began. “After your army took the Great Bridge of Myrddin, I thought I had best think about making another move on Garreg Mach. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect you to come and meet me so quickly. Neither did I think you would come alone. What kind of a King abandons his people just to seek revenge?” 

“What kind of an Emperor sends her people to die fighting a war based on her own selfish ideals? Do not question me Edelgard, when you have committed more sins than I. Revenge is not the only thing I seek.” 

Edelgard frowned. “Why have you come if not for revenge?” 

“If I simply desired revenge I could have ordered you killed. No, I desire so much more. I need to see the life leave your eyes, just like it left my Fathers and Glenn's. I need to watch your blood spill to the ground by my own hand, to appease the dead who cry for your head.” 

With that, Dimitri let out a guttural roar, pushed himself up from his lance and charged towards Edelgard. Edelgard raised her axe in response and the two weapons clashed with a sound that echoed across the field. Byleth stood there in horror, still unable to make her feet move her forward, transfixed by the ensuing battle. She watched as Dimitri made thrust after thrust against Edelgard who parried the blows with ease. He was clearly weak and injured heavily. He didn’t stand a chance, why wouldn’t he stop? A cornered animal, nothing but instinct and rage.

After what seemed like hours but could only have been a few minutes, Edelgard stopped merely parrying the blows and with one quick motion swung the head of her axe down onto Dimitri’s lance, the large hooked shape gripped around the polearm, and wrenched it from his grasp. The force took Dimitri to his knees. As the lance somersaulted through the air, it landed blade down in the ground by Byleth’s feet. Byleth snapped to attention and watched, almost in slow motion, as Edelgard raised her axe above her head, about to end the fight with one fell swoop. 

Before Byleth knew what was happening, her leg’s propelled her forward. As she raced across the field she drew her sword. It glowed as her crest ignited it’s power with teh blood coursing through her veins.

Edelgard began to bring the axe down.

The ground was slick with blood and mud from the rain. Byleth cried out at the top of her lungs as she slid her way in between Dimitri and Edelgard. She came to stop on one knee, sword braced behind her back, head turned down in defense, shielding Dimitri. She had managed to stop Edelgard’s weapon on hers, the collision causing sparks of orange magic as the two glowing Relics fought each other. Her arms shook from the impact and she gritted her teeth, praying she could hold steady.

“Professor?!” Edelgard exclaimed in shock.

At that moment, Byleth heard the sound of teleportation magic and a familiar voice from behind her. 

“Your Majesty, we must retreat." Hubert urged. "The dog is on his last legs and there’s been sightings of reinforcements coming. It will do no good to fight here any longer."

Edelgard shifted her weight and let the axe drop to her side. “Hubert, a moment please.”

Ignoring his plea, Edelgard stood and spoke to Byleth.

“Why?”

Byleth lifted her head up to look Dimitri in the eye. She saw anger, hatred, maybe even fear, but the most important thing she saw, was gratitude. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she spoke, staying in her defensive stance. 

“Edelgard, you don't need to do this now. Surely you know the value of a fair fight.”

“This is war, Professor. Look at him, he’s just a wounded rabid dog. He isn’t fit to lead even his own kingdom, let alone Fodlan.” 

“That isn’t your decision alone to make Edelgard.” Byleth said.

She began to stand up and turned to face the young Emperor. She didn’t even get halfway around before she heard the sound of something flying through the air from behind her. She whirled back around, sword ready to deflect, but only saw Dimitri slump to the ground. She heard the sound of magic once again and felt a rush of air behind her and knew when she turned around, Edelgard would be gone, whisked away by her faithful servant. 

She dropped to her knees on the ground next to Dimitri, dropping her sword at her side. She had only taken her eyes off him for a second, how had this happened? She spied a small dagger in between his shoulder blades and carefully removed it. She heard a grunt of pain and winced slightly. She should have anticipated there would still be soldiers around, there was no way he could have killed them all alone. She threw the dagger aside, hoping there wasn’t any poison on it. She carefully rolled Dimitri onto his back. As she lay his head in her lap, his face twisted into a grimace from the movement. That pain was back in her chest again and growing fast, but she put on a brave face and mustered a small smile. She knew he liked it when she smiled. 

“Hey, you aren’t allowed to die now.” 

“You came.” Dimitri spluttered. 

“Of course I came. Now stop talking, lets get you some help, people need you back in fighting shape. Hubert mentioned reinforcements, that must be Dedue and the others coming to look for us.” 

Dimitri didn't seem to be listening.

“You heard what Edelgard said." He grunted through the pain. "My people dont need me. I’m just a shell of a man now. I dont even feel anything except hate.” 

“You’re wrong. You left me that note, so I could find you, that shows you feel something.” 

“Huh, so you found that. Good. I did wonder. Still, no one sees me as a human now.”

“You’re lying here bleeding after fighting a horde of soldiers and Edelgard. You can’t seriously care how people see you right now.” 

“True, there’s only one person.” 

Byleth went silent. Deep down, she knew what his response would be if she asked who, but right now she didn’t think she could bare to hear it.

“Please dont leave me Dimitri. I’ll get you some help, let me just go get my horse and we can get you back to the monastery.”

“You didn’t ask who.”

A lump formed in Byleth’s throat.

“It doesn’t matter right now. Let’s just get you out of here.”

Dimitri let out a ragged cough. “It matters to me. Before I go, I have to make peace with it.” He tried to reach his hand up to her face but it shook. Byleth took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly.

“Stop talking please, you are going to be fine.” The pressure in her chest grew, it was hard to breathe.

“You, Byleth. You were the only one I...”

With that his eye fluttered closed and she felt his body go limp in her lap. His hand slipped out of her grasp and hit the ground almost in slow motion. A wave of emotion like nothing Byleth had ever felt washed over her. The sorrowful scream that escaped her lungs caused birds to vacate their nests, deer to stampede from their hiding places, it echoed across the field. She had lost people before, even her father, but this...this was something else.

And just like that, she didn’t feel a thing. The pain that had been building up for the past few days had exploded and now she felt nothing. Empty. As she sat there, clutching Dimitri's hand, willing the life back into him, her only thoughts were regret. So much left unsaid, so much time wasted.

Time.

She had to turn back time. 


	3. Succour

Byleth carefully lifted Dimitri’s head from her lap and picked up her sword. She forced herself to stand though her legs were weak and shaking and concentrated with all her power on the Goddess’ magic that wove it’s way through the world. She said a silent pray to Sothis and felt time grind to a halt. She stood there for a while, staring at Dimitri's lifeless body. How far back should she go? How far back _could_ she go? Her mind went back to her Father dying in front of her. She had only managed to wind back time once then before her power was exhausted.

One chance.

What if it didn’t work, what if this was also fate? She pushed the questions down and focused, beginning to turn back the hands of time. She felt the lump in her throat and the pain in her chest start to come back as time reversed. It made it so much harder than normal. She couldn’t shake the image and feeling of Dimitri’s life leaving his body. As time moved backwards she started to see the events playing themselves out again in reverse, one moment at a time. Weapons clashing, blood streaking through the air, dirt kicking up from the ground. Her eyes started filling with tears again and before she knew it she lost her grip on the timeline and cried out as she suddenly snapped back to reality.

She was in the forest again. Had she only managed to go back mere minutes? Maybe hours? She didn’t have time to think. She raced towards the clearing and burst through the treeline to see Dimitri charging towards Edelgard. A brief feeling of relief washed over her, he was alive, but she knew what was coming. She didn’t have time. This time she wouldn’t just stand there frozen until the last second, she could stop the fight before it happened. She called out at the top of her lungs as she began to run forward.

“Dimitri! Stop!” 

She watched as his head turned to see her. She saw his eye widen and swore she saw a half smile cross his lips. For a brief moment, she had hope that this time would be different.

That hope didn’t last.

She watched as Edelgard’s axe came crashing down against Dimitri’s shoulder whilst his attention was diverted, carving its way through flesh and bone. No, no, no this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, this was worse, so much worse. How had Edelgard seen that slither of an opening?! Dimitri’s body hit the ground with a thud. He wasn’t moving. As Edelgard removed her axe, Byleth saw Hubert appear besides the young Emperor. Byleth watched as he turned and threw a ball of dark magic in her direction which she had to roll hard to the side to avoid but continuing to move forward. It may have only been a brief distraction but it had slowed her just long enough for Hubert to teleport Edelgard to safety.

She finally reached the sight of the battle and fell to her knees once more over Dimitri.

“No, this wasn’t supposed to happen, I am so sorry, this time it was my fault.” she cried through her tears as storm clouds rumbled overhead. She rolled Dimitri over again, head into her lap just like before, but this time, there was no face of pain or words of regret, now there was only silence and the distant sound of wind and clouds as a curtain of rain moved its way across the open field. The long tear where the axe had struck clean through Dimitri's armor was thick with blood and as the rain reached the pair it began to pool down into Byleth's lap. Feelings of grief began to mingle with feelings of anger, both at Edelgard and at herself, and she smashed her fists into the ground.

Byleth sat there in the pouring rain for a long time, sobbing to herself silently, cradling Dimitri in her lap, as if willing the life back into him. The only thing she could think, was how she had wasted her one chance. One chance to save him. One chance to change fate. One chance....

No.

She could do it again. She had to. This wasn’t like before. She had merged with Sothis now. Now the power was fully hers to claim as her own. She could do this. She had to save him.

Byleth wiped the tears from her eyes and carefully removed Dimitri from her lap, lying him gently on the torn earth. She pushed herself up from the ground, using her sword as an anchor, closed her eyes and steeled herself. She had to go back further this time. She couldn’t afford to lose control again. She stood there, imagining the faces of all her friends and the faces of the people of Fodlan who would suffer under Edelgard’s reign. She looked down at the face of the man that she loved.

Yes, that was it. That feeling in her chest. She loved him. Why did he have to die for her to realise it. She vowed she wouldn’t let it happen again. With fire like she had never felt coursing through her veins, she took her sword in both hands and ripped a tear in the fabric of reality, forcing time to a halt. She spun the hands of time back as hard as she could, eyes clenched shut, screaming out into the void as she did. She had to stop him leaving the monastery, it was the only way. 

* * *

Byleth snapped back to reality once more. Her eyes sprung open, but she couldn’t see anything. Pitch black darkness surrounded her. What was going on? Had she gone too far? She pressed her eyes together and blinked hard, trying to get them to focus, to see anything. Shapes starting forming, long rectangular shapes, some seemed to be closer than others. She looked down at herself and could only see a vague outline that seemed to be covered by something. A sudden crack of lightning illuminated her surroundings. She was lying in bed, in her monastery room, wrapped up in blankets, staring up at the beams in the ceiling.

She had done it!

Without a moments hesitation she leapt from the bed and proceeded to get her foot caught in the blankets, tumbling to the ground. She wrenched her foot free and bolted for the door. The stables. She had to get to the stables. She ran out the dormitory door and into the pouring rain, the sound of her bare feet splashing over the ground covered by the rolls of thunder. She raced past the fishing pond, round the front of the monastery and threw herself around the corner leading to the stables. She came to a screeching halt outside the stable doors and frantically looked around.

No sign.

She checked inside, working her way down the corridor and checking each box, careful not to spook any of the horses.

No sign.

Had she missed him? No, his horse was still there she realised. All she knew was that at some point he had to come here. He would have to leave the evidence her and Dedue would find later. Her only hope was to stay and wait so she huddled by the entrance of the stable, listening hard for the sound of any movement outside. 

She must have sat there for around half an hour before she heard the sound of heavy boots coming from outside. She carefully stood up and made her way to the stable door. As she peered round the corner towards the knights hall, she saw a figure approaching. As it got closer she saw the unmistakable outline of a fur cloaked figure, lantern in hand and a dimly glowing lance slung over it’s shoulder. Byleth had never felt relief like it and took a deep breath to stop it overwhelming her. She stepped out into the rain to block his path, as Dimitri walked forward and looked down at her. 

“What are you doing here?” He sneered at her. There was almost an air of disgust on his face. 

Byleth realised how much of a state she must look. Bare foot, in her night clothes, hair plastered against her face, shivering from the cold. She needed to look strong to change his mind. She tried to stand up straight and look imposing, clenching her fingers into fists to stop them from shaking. 

“I’ve come to stop you Dimitri.” She said with as much conviction as she could muster.

Dimitri grunted. “Stop me from what? I am merely patrolling the monastery as I couldn’t sleep.”

“Do you normally take Areadbhar with you on patrol?” Byleth questioned. 

“That is none of your business.” He grunted in response. “Now get inside, you look a mess.” He pushed past her and made his way to the stable door.

“I know where you are going Dimitri. Do you really think you can do this on your own?”

No response, he continued walking. 

“We all want to help. We can march for Enbarr with a strategy that can lead us to victory. We just need a bit more time.” 

Still no response as he pushed open the door and strode down the corridor within the stables. Byleth jogged along behind him, struggling to keep pace with his long strides. She watched as he entered the tack room, placing the lantern down on a window sill, before resting Areadbhar against a wall and moving to collect his saddle and reins. 

“Dimitri, we made a promise all those years ago that we would do things together, let me speak.” Dimitri stopped in his tracks, back still turned. Byleth waited a moment, hoping he might look at her as she spoke, but after a while of no movement she continued. 

“The dead don't need revenge, Dimitri.” 

He whirled around to her and she saw the anger rise in his eye. “What do you know of appeasing the dead? You yourself charged after your father’s killers without a second thought. What difference is there? The dead must have their revenge.” 

“I was foolish.” 

“Foolish? First you speak of pointless promises and now you call me foolish?” That anger of his was building and she saw his fingers clench into a fist at his side. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“You implied it. Don't think I don't see how you look at me now. I’m weak, I have always been too weak, not like the man I need to be for...” Dimitri trailed off and Byleth saw his hand unclench as she spoke. 

“You’re wrong. I have never seen you as weak. I...” Byleth couldn’t find the words to explain to this man how she saw him. If only she could tell him how she had just twisted fate for no other reason than to be here with him now. She just wanted to be able to find the words to save him and none of them seemed right. They both stood in silence, unsaid words hanging between them, until Byleth chose to speak first, words that she knew needed to be said. 

“Your father wouldn’t want this.” 

The next thing she knew, Dimitri’s hand was at her throat and her back against the stable wall, her feet off the ground so their eyes were level. 

“Don’t you _dare_ speak for him.” 

Byleth struggled to breath and reached up to his hand on her neck trying to pry it away. The dim light of the candle flickered in Dimitri’s eye, reflected like a raging fire. 

“You have no idea what my father would want. I can hear him even now, calling for her head. You have no right to claim your words as his.” 

“Dimitri...” Byleth choked but he didn’t seem to hear her. 

“You say you came here to stop me. To stop me from going to kill her? Who’s side are you on?! Can you really suffer that woman to live?!” 

Byleth managed to wriggle enough that she could breathlessly utter a few words. “Dimitri, please, it’s me.” 

A brief flash of regret passed across his face before he grunted and released his hand. Byleth fell to her knees on the ground in front of him and coughed, gasping for air. Dimitri stood over her, unmoving, face turned to the side so as not to look at her. 

“Don’t you see.” He said. “I am a monster, nothing more. Go, now, before I change my mind.”

Byleth looked up at him from the ground. “I’m not going anywhere. I wont let you do this.” 

“I have to do this. I have to protect everyone. I couldn’t do that before and I won’t let it happen again.” 

Byleth could hear his voice had softened ever so slightly, but his sense of conviction still drove him down a path she knew would only end in tragedy. Byleth stood up, leaning back against the wall for support while she regained her breath. She gently reached out her hand.

“Please, let me do this with you.”

Dimitri’s hand slammed against the wall next to her head and she recoiled her hand. “Why wont you just leave!”, he hissed.

“Because I know that deep down, you aren’t a monster.” 

“You...I...” 

He was struggling to speak, was she getting through to him? He still wouldn't look in her eyes.

“You don't have to protect me.” Byleth whispered.

His face was inches from hers, sharp breaths heating her face, his remaining good eye downturned. A flash of lightning illuminated the room. Byleth didn’t feel cold anymore. 

She gently reached up again and this time managed to rest a hand on his outstretched arm. She felt the tension rippling underneath the surface.

"We've always done things together. You've helped me countless times, even from the first day we met. All I've ever wanted to do is help you in return Dimitri."

"I'm not that young boy that made foolish promises anymore, you'd do well to remember that." There was a brief pause and Byleth saw Dimitri swallow, his jaw clenching as he toyed with what to say next. When his eye moved to hers, she could almost see a decision being made. "I'm tired of waiting. If you won't believe what I'm telling you, about the kind of man I am now, then I’ll just have to show you.” 

Before Byleth realised what was happening his mouth slammed against hers. Were it not for the wall behind her she would have been knocked off her feet. Her eyes widened in shock, she couldn’t pull away even if she wanted to. His tongue entered her mouth hungrily, forcing her lips apart. She felt a fire rise inside her and her eyes flickered shut as she reached up to take his face in her hand. She didn't get close enough as it was quickly pinned up against the wall at the wrist by Dimitri's other hand. She tried to wrench it free but the more she moved, the harder he pressed into her, resting his whole body against her. The intensity made her dizzy. A swift wind blew through the stables and the lantern was extinguished, plunging them into darkness. 

When he finally recoiled his tongue, he took her lip between his teeth and bit down. She tasted blood before it was licked away. She took a moment to breath while he adjusted his weight, mind still reeling from the suddenness of his advances. He dropped her wrist and placed his hand behind her head, pulling her into him. She placed her arms around his neck to steady herself, feeling the softness of his cloak’s fur trim against her skin, in sharp contrast to the hard edges of his armour against her body. She was relieved when he didn’t back away. He buried his face into her neck, sucking and biting his way down it and along her exposed shoulder. His left hand, which until now had been supporting his weight, moved down the length of her body to her bare thigh. Goddess she wished she had thought to put on more clothes. The leather of his gloves was cold against her skin and she recoiled slightly. A frustrated rumble came from Dimitri’s throat and he moved to swiftly remove the glove with his teeth before placing his hand back against the skin of her thigh. She didn’t flinch this time. He seemed satisfied and moved back to roughly caressing her neck. 

The other gloved hand that was behind her head moved and took a firm grip on her breast over her nightclothes. Byleth let out a sharp breath of surprise. As his hand kneaded and played with her, a low groan escaped her throat. She felt his grip tighten on her thigh, fingers digging into her as he lifted her leg up to the side of him and pushed his crotch against her. The pressure was bewildering and she dug her fingers into whatever she could get purchase on. The hand that was at her breast moved its way up and he forced the end of his fingers into her mouth.

“Bite” he said.

She obliged, gingerly taking the ends of his glove between her teeth as he pulled away, freeing his hand from the leather. She let the glove drop to the floor and stood there panting. 

A flash of lightning filled the room and for a brief moment, she saw a smile across Dimitri’s lips. It almost looked sinister and she felt her insides tighten in response.

“Now open wide” she heard as she felt fingers play with her lips. She tentatively opened her jaw and was greeted with the feeling of three fingers filling her mouth, moving against her tongue, coating themselves in her saliva. When he was satisfied, he moved the hand down to between her legs. He hooked a finger around the waistband of her underwear and ripped it away with ease. Byleth let out a gasp before she felt those wet fingers slowly moving around her entrance. Goddess, Byleth thought, why was he slowing down now? Another flash of lightning and she saw the look on his face. He was toying with her, like an animal playing with its food before it devoured it, and she was going to let him. She heard his voice purr in her ear.

“This is what happens when you get in my way.” 

He pushed a finger inside her, slowly, agonisingly slowly, so she felt every minute movement. Each flick and rub producing new groans of pleasure from her. She felt herself get wetter and felt another finger fill her, followed by a third. Her mind was blank, all she could think or feel was the movements deep inside her. She felt herself begin to lose control, her breathing grew faster as the movements got faster and she felt her core tighten, ready to collapse, before the fingers were roughly taken away. She leant back for stability. The only things supporting her were the wall behind her, Dimitri’s hand under her thigh and his body pushed against her. 

She felt the weight shift off her and leant harder against the wall to steady herself. She heard the sound of buckles and leather straps in the darkness and the sound of metal hitting stone. When she felt his body press against her again, there was no cold edge of armour, only the soft feeling of clothing on his upper body and skin from the waist down, and something long and hard against her leg. Dimitri’s hands went to her thighs, lifting her up either side of him, opening her up to him. For all but a second, she sensed hesitation. 

“I don't intend to stop you know.” She heard him whisper. How could he ever believe he was a monster, she thought. He wasn't going to admit it, but she knew she had a choice in this. 

“I know.” she replied. 

As he thrust forward and slid into her, stretching her, filling her and pushing her hips back into the wall, Byleth let out a groan of pleasure. Dimitri simply stood there for a while, pinning her to the wall as she squirmed around him, adjusting to the feeling of him inside her. He waited until she relaxed a little before slowly withdrawing and thrusting into her again. And again. And again. His rhythm getting more furious, his hands gripping so tightly into her thighs it left bruises almost instantly. Byleth cried out with each thrust, the sound covered by the ensuing storm outside. The sound of flesh against flesh, his low grunts and her own heavy breathing, it was all too much. She felt her muscles tense sharply and then relax all at once, her vision went white and she screamed out as she came. She didn’t know if it was the sound of her pleasure, or the feeling of her tightening around him, but she felt Dimitri thrust into her heavily one final time and felt the warmth inside her as he came undone as well, all the built up frustration, anger, tension, all of it melting away.

Everything was silent, save for the rumble of distant thunder and their steadying breaths. The rain had stopped and a cool breeze blew through the stables as the moonlight began to emerge from the clouds. Dimitri finally leant away and pulled himself free, placing Byleth's feet back on the ground. She quickly found a bundle of hay to perch herself on to steady her shaking legs and watched as Dimitri threw on his trousers, picked up his discarded armour and lance and headed towards her. He placed his cloak around her and, without saying a word, headed towards the door. Her heart sank a little. Where was he going? She opened her mouth to ask but just as she was about to speak he turned his head over his shoulder and spoke.

“I hope you know now, what I am, how you are powerless to stop me if I so wish."

He paused and Byleth contemplated his words. Was he really just trying to prove something to her? Or was this just an opportunity for something that was inevitable from the start? She listened as Dimitri spoke once more, a few simple words she was so grateful to hear.

"I won’t leave tonight.”

With those final words, Dimitri walked out of the stables and Byleth was left alone, head spinning, wondering what was going to happen now. 


	4. Dreams

Dimitri departed the stables and made his way towards the knights hall. He needed to find somewhere quiet to collect himself and he always found some level of comfort amongst those familiar walls, perhaps due to how many hours he had spent there during his time at the academy. He made his way inside and closed the door behind him so as not to be interrupted without warning. Not that anyone else would be around at this time on such a stormy night. Then again, he had thought that same thing when he chose tonight to leave for Enbarr and she had shown up. He stomped his way over to the small desk at one end of the room, laid down his lance and lent his hands on the back of the nearby chair. He stood there for a while, staring into the dying embers in the fireplace. Someone must have lit it before nightfall to keep the chill and damp air out of the room but the flames were now all but gone. As he watched the flickering embers, his thoughts began to dance around his mind.

Goddess, why did it have to be her. He dug his fingers into the chair slightly. Of all the people that could have tried to stop him, of course it was her. If it had been anyone else, he was sure he would have pushed them aside and been halfway across the open fields by now. But now he was here, having promised not to leave that night after succumbing to some base desire built up from rage and frustration. As he stood there, mind recounting his decisions and actions and cursing himself, the voices started creeping back in.

“Why didn’t you leave? Do we not matter anymore? His father whispered in his ear. “Stopped by one woman, just how weak are you?”

He closed his good eye, focusing to try and block out the sound. His hands tightened and he felt the delicate wood of the chair bend under his clenched fingers. Of course the dead still mattered. He still wanted to avenge them, he had never stopped wanting that. It was just, when he was with her, it was like he didn’t have room in his head for anything else. When his face had been close to hers, when he could feel her breath on his face, when she had touched him...

Dimitri quickly snapped his eye open again. No, this wouldn’t do. He had to go and take that vile woman’s head. He took a deep breath, intent on returning to the stables and leaving for good this time, but the voices started their desperate wailing once more.

“You said you wouldn’t leave tonight, have you no honour?” It was Glenn this time. “Are you a liar now as well as a monster? If your old Professor was so important that she could to stop you leaving, why go back on that choice now?”

Dimitri growled under his breath and tightened his hands, snapping the back of the chair. In a fit of rage he picked up the remnants and threw them onto the fire, cursing aloud as he did so. Embers were thrown out onto the cold stone floor, sizzling as they hit the icy tiles. He decided standing still clearly wasn't working so began to pace around the room, hoping that would clear his thoughts.

He paced from one end of the room to the other for some time, caught in an endless circle, the voices chastising him no matter which direction he chose to go, images swirling in front of his eyes. His father questioning his honour. Glenn questioning his strength. Edelgard’s face smiling as she crushed soldiers beneath her feet. He gripped his head in his hands, fingers digging into his scalp, willing them to stop.

“Why won’t you all just be quiet!” He cried out into the darkness.

The voices fell silent.

Exhausted, he slumped down on the floor, resting his head back against the cold stone wall. Hopefully no one had heard his outburst, but he was too tired to care much. They already thought him a monster, why not a crazed one at that. He closed his eye once more to try and stop his head spinning. What was this discord inside his mind? He had never known conflict like this. He had decided 5 years ago what his goal was and had worked tireless towards it, tearing down as much of the Empire's army as he could single handed. Why was he hesitating now? What was this feeling in his chest?

As he sat there, breathing softly, willing the dull ache in his chest to subside, another image began forming in his mind. This time it felt more like a memory. A hand reaching down to him. As he raised his head, he saw her standing there, hand outstretched, green hair blowing softly in the breeze. She was illuminated from behind, causing her to glow like a guiding star in the night sky. He reached out his own hand and she took it, bending down to take him in her arms. The feeling of warmth radiating from her worked its way through him to his very soul. The smell of her hair, the feeling of her cheek resting against his. She took his face in her hands and leant in to kiss him. The wetness of her lips, the feeling of her tongue, it was intoxicating, thought consuming. As he reached up to pull her in closer, the vision faded and his one remaining eye opened to the now cold, dark knights hall.

He came to the realisation that he must have dozed off. He hadn’t been able to sleep for weeks, maybe even months. That he could doze off so readily now, that his mind was so easily occupied, so easily quieted, by her and her alone... He ran his hand through his hair, gripping it between his fingers. Goddess what was he to do. For now, he decided to simply find somewhere to lay his head down for the night. He suddenly felt the desire to try and sleep some more.

* * *

Dimitri made his way back past the stables, intending to find one of the old dormitory rooms to sleep in for some semblance of comfort. As he passed the doorway, he found himself drawn to the entrance. As he rounded the corner he spotted her lying there. She had curled herself up under his cloak on top of a pile of hay and looked like she was sleeping soundly.

Byleth. Her name sounded strange his head, so used was he to calling her Professor. But that wasn't only who she was now, was it? He contemplated how she didn't address him by his title. He was somewhat grateful for that, he wasn't much of a crown prince these days. But should he still call her Professor? Would it be wrong of him to want to hear her name on his lips, to speak it and have her turn towards him, those green eyes wide and expectant, maybe even with a smile on her face. 

He was surprised to find himself smiling and growled at himself quietly, setting his face back into his usual carefully crafted mask of neutrality. He couldn’t just leave her like this, could he? She’d catch her death of cold and he didn’t need that on his conscious as well. He let out a disgruntled sigh at his own indecision and slowly moved towards her. When she showed no sign of rousing, he carefully bent down and took her in his arms and a faint flicker of a memory crossed his mind. Yes, he had done this before. He remembered carrying her sleeping body back to the monastery so many years ago, not long after her appearance had changed. His heart skipped as she moved slightly, and he went completely rigid, praying she wouldn’t wake, but she merely nestled into his chest. The feeling in his chest swelled as he felt her move against him but he quickly pushed it back down. He was merely preserving his honour by helping someone in need. That was all this was.

Dimitri carefully carried her back to the dormitories and noticed the door was flung open wide. As he entered, he spied bed sheets strewn across the floor and wondered what had happened earlier that night to cause her normally immaculate quarters to be in such disarray. He made his way inside and carefully laid her on the bed, still wrapped in his cloak. There was no way he was getting that back without waking her so he supposed it would have to wait. He found himself standing over her for a while. His gaze lingered on her face, remembering how it had looked not long ago. Remembering how those lips had parted so deliciously, how soft her breasts had been, how her thighs had felt clenched in his hands. He quickly shook his head to clear it. He would not let this affect him so. He had too many other faces occupying his head, he didn't need another. Even if this one was living. Even if this one was Byleth. 

He had to get out of there. Now.

He turned around so he couldn’t see her anymore. The images began to fade from his vision and so he took the opportunity to exit the room, shutting the door behind him, setting his course for the cathedral. The dormitories no longer felt like a good option. Too close to temptation. He had found comfort in the cathedral recently, often praying for an end to the nightmares when he couldn't sleep. He never was a particularly religious man, often wondering if the Goddess would ever truly reach down her hand after everything he had endured, but tonight he would try as all else had failed. When he closed his eye and summoned the image of the Goddess he had in his mind since childhood, he wasn't met with the faceless deity he normally imagined. No, this time he saw flowing green hair, brilliant green eyes, he saw her. Byleth. At this point Dimitri decided he could deny it no longer. If only for one night, he would give in to his obvious desire. Maybe, no matter how sacrilegious it may be, if he prayed hard enough, this Goddess might see fit to allow him just a moments more peace, to revisit those sweet dreams once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to try writing from a different perspective this time - hope you enjoy :)


	5. Beginning

Byleth awoke the next morning sprawled out on top of her bed under Dimitri’s cloak. She didn’t remember getting back to her room at all and certainly didn’t remember falling asleep. She groaned as she sat up and felt the aches in her body. The combination of changing the timeline and her less than planned night-time activity had taken its toll on her it seemed. She still wasn’t really sure what had happened. All she knew was she had averted disaster and Dimitri was safe, for now. She decided to go and take a quick break in the sauna to try and ease some of her aches before heading to the war room for the days briefing. She carefully removed the cloak from on top of her. As it moved, the scent wafted into her nose. The smell was warm, earthy, evocative. She carefully pressed her face into the heavy cloth and fur, breathing in the scent and closing her eyes. Reminders of wandering hands and lingering kisses filled her mind. A small sigh escaped her lips as she exhaled and she forced her eyes open. _Come on Byleth, that’s enough_ , she thought to herself. Now wasn't the time to be distracted by fantastical thoughts. What happened the other night was merely the result of built up frustration and lack of judgement. Even if she did wonder if it would happen again. She rose, removing the cloak and folded it neatly, placing it under her bed before grabbing a towel and leaving. No need for prying eyes to find it or unwelcome questioning.

* * *

Byleth spent the best part of an hour relaxing in the hot steam. She used the time to try and process the new questions in her mind. She wondered what Dimitri felt about everything that happened. Had he planned for things to go as they had? How could he have when he didn't know she would be there. What was it going to be like when they saw each other next? Was his mind also full of thoughts and questions or was he going to be unconcerned about the whole thing? She decided it wasn't worth lingering on and focused her mind back on the day ahead. The tension in her muscles alleviated, she hugged her towel tightly around her and started the short walk back to get dressed. She never bothered taking clothes with her as it was so close to her room. As she closed the sauna door and turned to walk down the stairway, she saw Dimitri walking past the training ground. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly looked around to see who else was in the area. The place was deserted. She wondered if he would say anything to her. Maybe she should pluck up the courage and say something to him. She reached the foot of the stairs without realising she had been moving and their eyes met. She stopped in her tracks. Dimitri took a few steps towards her and looked her up and down. The corner of his mouth turned upwards slightly into a smile. _A good mood_ , Byleth thought, _that's a change_. 

“You might want to cover some of that up before our meeting.” He said and gestured at her neck and collar bone.

With that he turned and walked away. Byleth stood there silent for a time before she felt the heat rise to her face. Goddess, she hadn’t even thought about the fact those aches she was feeling probably came hand in hand with marks and bruises. What if someone had seen her? She rushed back to her room and bolted the door behind her. She leant against the door and slid down it, hugging her knees to her chest. Wait, she thought to herself, he had said “before our meeting.” Was he actually going to go to one of the war briefings? Normally he had no real interest in what was happening, he was always working on his own agenda these days. He'd also said "our". Presumably he meant the whole group but in her own selfish way, she wondered if he had meant the two of them. She smiled quietly to herself, small feelings of hope in her heart. 

* * *

Byleth chose her outfit carefully, making sure it would cover all the necessary areas. She hadn’t kept many of her old clothes from her academy days so threw on some trousers she had borrowed from one of the female monks and a blue, long sleeved buttoned shirt. As she buttoned it in front the mirror, her eyes lingered on the marks along her neck and collar bone. She ran a finger along one of them, flashes of heat rising under her fingers as she remembered what had caused them. She shook her head clear once more and buttoned her shirt as high as it would go.

She made her way to the cardinals room, much like she had done only a few days ago, only this time she was not greeted by a sea of worried faces. She glanced around the room, happy that none of the others knew what might have transpired on that alternate timeline. It wasn’t long before a smiling Annette spotted her and rushed over. 

“Professor, you’re finally here! Annette exclaimed cheerfully. She lowered her voice and pointed over to the corner of the room. ““Look, His Highness has shown up for the meeting today. I wonder what changed his mind. Maybe he's finally starting to come back to us.” 

Byleth looked across the room and noted Dimitri standing talking with Dedue and Sylvain. His arms were folded and he didn’t look thrilled to be here, but still, he was here and that mattered more than anything. Byleth moved across the room to take her seat at the head of the table and motioned for the session to start, everyone taking their usual seats. Dimitri stayed standing in the corner behind her. 

The session went off without a hitch and their next course of action was decided. They would begin their march into Empire territory soon so were to work on gathering resources from as many Kingdom and Alliance lords as possible. Dimitri didn’t say anything except a few nods and grunts but Byleth felt like his gaze was boring into the back of her head the entire session. Progress was made and everyone was in relatively high spirits as they left later that morning. Byleth was the last to leave and as she gathered her papers and exited the room, she was met by a solitary Dimitri. It seemed he had been waiting for her. She decided to treat him how he appeared to be treating her, not acknowledging their late night rendezvous. She silently nodded at him and turned to walk away. As she did, she heard a quiet growl of indignation behind her. She only managed a few steps before a hand slammed against the wall in front of her, an outstretched arm blocking her path. 

“Excuse me.” Byleth said. “I would appreciate you moving out of my way, I have lots of work to be doing before our next mission.” 

“Don’t ignore me.” Dimitri grunted at her. 

“I wasn’t ignoring you. I simply have nothing to say to you. Besides, you seem to only want to speak a few words to me so I was merely returning the courtesy.” She turned around to head down the corridor to the other exit. Dimitri’s other hand slammed against the wall, arms either side of her, blocking her exit. She clutched her papers closer to her chest as she leant into the wall. “Fine. I’m listening.” Byleth said, trying not to let the heat rising inside her show on her face.

“You have something of mine.” He said. 

“Your cloak? Yes, I will give it back to you when I find the time don’t worry.”

“No. I’ll come and collect it tonight. Be there.” With that he stormed off down the corridor and disappeared from view. As he turned the corner Byleth sighed and realised how tense she had been. Clearly his good mood from the morning had evaporated. She took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders and went about her day, trying not to think about the coming night or the growing sense of anticipation inside her. 

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Byleth finally made it back to her room. Now that they had a course of action she had to draw up troop movements, plan training sessions, check armour allocations and numerous other things. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and drearily reached out for the door handle with the other. Her hand found nothing. Confused, she blinked a few times and looked down. The door was slightly ajar so the handle had swung out of her grasp. Cautiously she placed her hand on the dagger at her waist and pushed the door open. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so she entered, keeping the door open behind her for a quick exit. She cast her eyes around the room, nothing immediately out of place but when she looked towards the bed she found that the cloak was gone. 

“You were taking too long” A voice from behind her spoke and she whirled round unsheathing the dagger. Dimitri was stood behind the open door. He was dressed in a loose fitting white shirt, black trousers and a pair of black hunting boots rather than his usual armour. Byleth realised she had forgotten how he looked outside of battle armour. He had the cloak slung over one shoulder with one hand while the other rested in his pocket, the very picture of nonchalance. 

“You really shouldn’t go through people’s things without asking.” Byleth said, putting the dagger away and folding her arms to look disapprovingly at him. 

“You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked. You never know who might find their way in. We are at war after all.” 

Byleth scowled in response. “Well, you have your belongings back now, you can leave. I’ve had a rather busy day so I would appreciate some time to rest.” 

“If that is what you want then fine, I will leave. But I thought you might want to discuss certain matters.” 

Byleth's heart skipped. So this was how it was going to be, on his terms.

“Perhaps. I had thought by the way you kept walking away from me today that you did not want to discuss it.” 

“How do you know what I think without first asking me?” 

He was being difficult on purpose and Byleth felt anger rising up inside her. 

“You seem to have an answer for everything right now so please, enlighten me, what are your thoughts?” she said shortly. 

“My thoughts are of you and I need it to stop.” 

Byleth’s heart jumped into her throat. “Excuse me?” 

“I can’t stop thinking about the things I did to you. How I need to do them again.”

Byleth swallowed, trying not to show any emotion on her face. Her heart was pounding again. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.” 

“I’m serious. Whenever I’m around you now its hard to control myself. That I could lose control of my senses, just from someone’s presence, its infuriating." She saw a movement in his pocket as his fist clenched. "I am avoiding you for good reason, but I can’t avoid you forever I know.” 

Byleth felt her rage subside. Was this a confession of feelings? True it wasn’t how she had hoped to find out and he made it sound so inconvenient, but her heart still jumped at the thought. 

“Is there anyway I can help?” She said, trying to act as composed as possible. 

“I need to get you out of my head.” 

“And how do you propose to do that?” Her heart was hammering inside her ribcage now. Dimitri removed the cloak from his shoulder and laid it on the desk next to them, the other hand pushed her door shut.

“By taking what I need.” 

With one long step across the room his mouth crashed against hers and Byleth’s mind soared back to the previous night. A familiar rush of heat and longing came over her, all thoughts of sleep gone from her mind. She wanted this too. She gave into him as he pushed her back across the room, until her thighs hit something and she could go no further. His hand was in her hair pulling her mouth against his, one hand already clawing at her waist leaving fresh marks amongst the clusters from the previous night. Byleth felt groans begin to escape her and felt him press in harder. She felt her underwear grow damp as his growing erection pressed against her crotch and she rolled her hips against him in response, eliciting a low growl from Dimitri. His hand at her waist moved to the fastenings on her trousers, fingers grasping to unfasten them. A growl of frustration came from Dimitri as he struggled. That frustration resulted in the buttons being pulled off with force. Without hesitation his fingers worked their way down to the space between her legs. She felt fingers circling her entrance, one finger dipping in slowly, covering themselves in her slick, opening her up. Each movement elicited a low groan from Byleth's throat. There was no way he was just using her to get what he wanted, he was listening to how she reacted, pushing in deeper, using his palm against her to draw out ever louder moans from her. He buried his face into her neck, kissing and biting his way along it.

“Goddess you're so slick." Byleth heard in her ear. His fingers ran along her entrance and up past the bundle of nerves at its apex and Byleth shivered in response. His mouth moved back to hers, biting her bottom lip as his fingers continued to circle her clit. She bucked her hips against his hand, her panting growing less controlled as she revelled in the pressure growing inside her. As she thought she was about to lose herself, she felt the fingers being taken away.

"I’m going to take you now.” Dimitri purred against her lips. She whimpered in response and groaned as she felt her trousers and underwear being pulled down to fall at her ankles. No sooner than they had touched the ground did she feel a hand on her hip, spinning her around. His other hand went to her back and pushed her down, bending her over the counter that ran across the back of her room. He kept the hand on her back there so she couldn't get up and Byleth heard him fumble with his trousers. As she heard the soft thud of the fabric and his belt hit the ground her core tightened. His hands moved to squeeze at her behind and she felt him slide in between her legs, covering his erection with her wetness, before dragging the head up to her entrance. He gripped her hips tightly and she let a long moan escape her as she felt the length of him ease into her, filling her completely. It was so much tighter than before from this angle and she could feel every inch of him. Once he was fully inside and satisfied that she had relaxed around him, he adjusted his grip, slowly drew out of her, and thrust forward, pulling her back onto him. She cried out as he slammed into her and felt her walls tighten around him in response. He did it again, and again, getting faster and harder, setting a rampant pace that made Byleth’s legs quiver from the strain. With each thrust into her she cried out louder, her fingers clawing at the counter for anything to grip onto. She felt the sweat on his hands against her hips, heard the sound of his breathing getting faster at each thrust and lost herself in the feeling. She arched her back and raised her behind to feel him deeper inside her and as she did so a groan escaped Dimitri’s mouth. That groan was her undoing and she felt the familiar tightening growing in her core.

"Dimitri..." she panted, trying to warn him of her impending undoing but it was too late. She cried out as she came, her legs shaking, her muscles tightening around his length so extraordinarily as stars exploded behind her eyes.

“Goddess...” she heard from behind her as she felt a final thrust into her and the sensation of warmth filling her as he climaxed before collapsing down over her. After they had caught their breath, he pulled out of her and she felt the warm liquid from both of them begin dripping down her thighs, her insides twinging in response. Goddess she could get used to this. 

She bent down to pull her trousers up. Realising that they were ruined and she couldn’t do them up anymore, she simply held them up with one hand, resigned to solve the situation later and turned around to lean against the counter. She found herself watching Dimitri dress himself. He was turned away from her, bending down to pick up his trousers, and she saw some of the long lines of scars running up his legs. Once he had pulled his trousers up and fastened his belt he stretched upwards with his arms and she saw even more marks on his lower back as his shirt rode up slightly. He had really been through hell these past few years. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him, to kiss every one of those scars as if she could heal them, take away all that pain. Dimitri turned back around to face her and she quickly averted her gaze to obscure her wandering eyes. When she looked back at his face she thought his expression seemed less harsh than normal. He still had that unreadable mask but maybe there was a glimmer of something else underneath. She stepped forward, reaching her free hand out to rest on a scar peaking out his shirt opening along his collar bone, running her finger along it. She felt him tense at her touch and he took a sharp breath through his nose but he didn't back away. 

“Dimitri, won’t you stay with me tonight?”

She wasn’t sure why she had asked. Maybe because she wanted to comfort him. Maybe because she wanted him to comfort her, to tell her what this was all about. Either way she knew the answer before it had left his lips. 

“No. I must go.”

A moment of silence.

“I....” He paused again, as if struggling to find what he wanted to say. “I will see you at tactics drills tomorrow.” He gently lifted her hand away, lingering slightly before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. As Byleth’s eyes moved away from the closed door, her heart unsure once more how to feel, she noticed a mound of fabric still lying on the desk.

He hadn’t even taken the cloak with him. 


End file.
